Eastern Orthodoxy

This article deals with Eastern Orthodoxy as it relates to NationStates. For more general information, see the Wikipedia article on this subject.

The Eastern Orthodox Church (encompassing national Orthodox jurisdictions such as Greek Orthodox, Taraskovyan Orthodox, etc.) is a body of Christians who believe their origins extend directly back to Jesus and his Apostles through unbroken Apostolic Succession. Non-Orthodox historians, however, regard Orthodoxy as having emerged and developed gradually from a number of competing early Christian varieties of belief between the 1st and 4th centuries. It is then seen as developing its doctrines further through a series of church councils, the most authoritative being the "Seven Ecumenical Councils" held between the 4th and 8th centuries.

There are several autocephalous Orthodox churches in the NS world. The various local churches within the Orthodox Church are distinct in terms of administration and local culture, but for the most part exist in full communion with one another. The autocephalous Orthodox churches are:

Orthodox Church of Constantinople

(Main article: Orthodox Church of Constantinople)

The Orthodox Church of Constantinople consists of the Greek Orthodox Church in Pantocratoria and a small number of metropolises outside of Pantocratoria under the direct authority of Patriarch Stephanus III, Ecumenical Patriarch, Archbishop of Constantinople New Rome, as elected by the Greek Orthodox bishops of Pantocratoria. The Pantocratorian Greek Orthodox community had long been surpressed and driven underground to avoid persecution by the state, which had definitively abandoned the Greek rite and asserted that the Pantocratorian Church was Roman Catholic during the reign of Emperor Demetrius VII, and it wasn't until recently that changes in the law made it possible for the parts of the Pantocratorian Church which had always been Greek Orthodox at heart to declare themselves as such.

Taraskovyan Orthodox Church

(Main article: Taraskovyan Orthodox Church)

The Taraskovyan Orthodox Church (Vigvar Patriarchate) was formed in the Grand Duchy of Tarasovka by Russian immigrants on the base of the Russian Orthodox Church. Starting out as a mere eparchy and then blossoming into an autonomous church, it was granted Autocephalous status in 781 A.S. (After Strife). Today, with an estimated 68% of the population, Eastern Orthodoxy is the majoritary faith in the Taraskovyan Federation.

Constantian Orthodox Church

The Constantian Orthodox Church is the oldest and by far the largest Christian denomination in the Holy Socialist Republic of Constantinopolis. It traces its origins to the Greek missionnaries who brought Christianity to the lands that form present-day Constantinopolis in the 11th century A.D. Over the next few centuries, those lands were divided between various small (and often short-lived) political entities, some of which were Christian and some of which were pagan. In 1436, however, the Christian voivod Vladimir Ivanov the Great united Constantinopolis and Orthodox Christianity became the official state religion. From that point on, the power and influence of the Constantian Orthodox Church grew considerabely, and it was granted autocephaly in 1694. Unfortunately, with power came corruption, and by the late 19th century the Church was rife with hypocrisy. While its numbers of adherents remained high on paper, in practice many people lost their faith. To make matters worse, the Constantian Orthodox Church continued to support the deposed imperial dynasty after the Great September Revolution, which put it on the losing side of the Civil War. But, ironically, the separation of Church and State instituted by the new communist authorities invigorated the Constantian Orthodox Church, by ending the corruption that had plagued it for centuries. The Church has remained a significant force in public life throughout the 20th century and, sometimes working closely with the Christian Socialist Party, it has helped to preserve the Christian character of Constantian society. Today, 43% of the population of Constantinopolis belongs to the Constantian Orthodox Church.

Danaan Orthodox Church

(Main article: Danaan Orthodox Church) The Danaan Orthodox Church is the state church of Bilbtoria in the Resurgent Dream. It is an Eastern Orthodox Church which employs the Greek rite and recognises Patriarch Stephanus III as the Ecumenical Patriarch and first amongst equals of Orthodox bishops. Its leader is His Beatitude Andreas Papriga, Archbishop of Artistonople and All the Resurgent Dream.